Camellia japonica ‘Brushfield’s Yellow’

Camellia 'Brushfield's Yellow' (Camellia japonica 'Brushfield's Yellow') is the one that stops people mid conversation in the middle of winter. It carries an unusual anemone form bloom, a ring of clean white outer petals around a dense creamy yellow centre, when most gardens have nothing open. The plant is well behaved: about 3m tall and 2m wide, evergreen, and content in the part shade that defeats most flowering shrubs.

Why you'll love it

• Flowers when nothing else does. Blooms open through winter into spring, filling the gap between the last autumn colour and the spring flush.
• A flower form you rarely see. The anemone centre reads as a soft creamy yellow cushion inside white petals, quite different from the usual formal rosette.
• It wants the shady spot. Morning sun with afternoon shade is ideal, so it solves the south or east facing bed that has been sitting empty.
• Not toxic to cats or dogs. Camellias are safe around pets, which makes this a genuine option for a family garden.
• Evergreen and dense enough to hedge. The glossy foliage holds all year, so it screens in the months it is not flowering.

Where it works best

Feature planting. One plant in a shaded courtyard or beside an entry does the job. Winter flowering is worth more where you walk past it daily.

Hedging and screening. Plant 1.2m apart in a single row for a solid evergreen screen to around 2.5m, which keeps foliage at the base rather than lifting into bare stems.

Pots and containers. A pot 500mm or wider suits it, and container growing holds it closer to 1.5m to 2m. Use an azalea and camellia mix.

Growing Brushfield's Yellow camellia in Australia

Position and climate. Dappled light, or morning sun with afternoon shade. Full hot sun scorches the leaves and shortens the life of the flowers. It suits subtropical, warm temperate and cool temperate gardens and is frost hardy once established, so cold southern gardens are within range.

Soil. Acidic, free draining and rich in organic matter. Work compost and aged pine bark through the bed, and plant slightly high rather than deep, because camellias will not tolerate a buried crown.

Water and feed. Keep the root zone evenly moist through the first two summers, watering deeply twice a week rather than lightly every day. Feed a camellia or azalea fertiliser after flowering and again in mid summer while buds are forming.

Pruning. Prune straight after flowering, never in autumn, because next winter's buds set on growth made through the warm months. Light shaping is usually all it needs.

What to expect when it arrives

This camellia is grown in four sizes: tube stock, 200mm in packs of six, 250mm in packs of three, and a single 300mm pot. Tube and 200mm plants are young and single stemmed, the value choice for a hedge run, though they take three to four years to screen. A 300mm plant may already carry buds.

Camellias travel well, and a few dropped leaves or buds after transit is normal rather than a fault. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Expect growth of roughly 20cm to 30cm a year. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• A complete guide to growing camellia bushes
• Browse the full camellia range
• Compare evergreen hedging and screening plants
• More plants that are safe around cats and dogs

Common questions

When does it flower?

Through winter and into early spring, which is the main reason to plant it. Timing shifts with climate, running earlier in warm subtropical gardens and later in cool southern ones.

How far apart should I plant it for a hedge?

One point two metres apart in a single row. The plants reach about 2m wide, so that spacing lets the canopies knit while each holds foliage down to the base.

Why are the buds dropping before they open?

Almost always dry soil during summer while buds are forming, or a sudden cold snap on swelling buds. Deep watering through the warm months and a good layer of mulch fixes the common cause.